DOOLISH By Jessica G., age 10

Click clack, a pencil tapped.

“Class,” screamed Mr. Holmes, “We have a boy gone! Where is Doolish? Class! Why doesn’t this class ever listen to me! Grr!”
The door creaked open with bang against the wall. The windows broke into little pieces of young brooms. Doolish was standing in the doorway.  He whirled into the room with his hands in fists. A chain saw hung from his belt. A tattoo of a dragon danced around his right eye. 
“You’re late, Doolish,” said Mr. Holmes.

“Oh yeah, smelly face,” said Doolish. “It’s ten o’clock!”
“That means that you are late,” the teacher said. “You kids are are getting everything wrong!”
“Mr. Farty Pants, is time to go home?” asked Doolish.
“Since you asked nicely, it is.” Mr. Holmes’s eye darkened. “Line up, you bunch of ugly rotten teeth!”  



Doolish’s mom’s car came whirling through the air and landed at the curb in front the school. She rolled her window down.”How was your day, son?” she mumbled, blowing on her nails.
” Good,” said Doolish, opening the door. “What time is it?”
“1:23.”
“Really, it looks like ten o’clock to me.”

“You’re wrong,”Doolish’s mom said, screeching down the street.

“Where are we going? Why are we on Broom Haunted Street?”
Doolish’s mom kicked the door open and threw him onto the sidewalk.
“Why are you throwing me out?” said Doolish.
“You messed up my nail polish!”
“How?” Doolish said, tumbling onto the curb.
She drove away and left Doolish cold and helpless. A young man, walked up to him and said, “Come with me so you can have a life.” His skin turned pale and his nose grew pointy. He raised his eyebrows.
“I’m at a payphone trying to call home,” he sang, “all of my change I spent on you/Where has the time gone baby?/It’s all wrong./Where are the pairs we made for two, yeah-Oh! He turned to Doolish. “Where is your parent, my little boy?”
“What’s your name?” Doolish asked.
The man whispered, “Don’t tell anyone. It’s Wizard.”
“Oh my gosh! That is so awesome! I want to tell, but I can’t. Hey Mr. Wizard, take me to your home.”
“Wait. I need to do something.” Wizard lifted his cape and pulled a glitter wand from his pocket. He spun it like a tornado.
“Vos sanguisuga!” he chanted. Blue mist circled around the wand. It grabbed Doolish, dying his cloths turquoise and dropping him to the ground.
He landed in a pool of blood. Awesome! he thought. He swam to a railing that lead to a street called Sanguisuga.

“Everybody please go to Sanguisuga Street,” a policeman called through a loud-speaker. “There will be fresh drinks.”
A teenage girl in a black dress rushed up to Doolish. Her pink hair whipped back and forth in the breeze. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
Doolish was about to say something but he shivered.
“What’s your name?” he finally asked
“My name is Tina Le. I used to be a human. My dad kicked me out of his limo on Broom Haunted Street because I got in his way. A guy found me and chanted a spell in Latin and sent me here.  When I landed in that pool of blood, a boy helped me out. He smiled and sunk his teeth into my neck! That’s why I will help humans even I though I am a vampire. I still remember what it’s like. Are you a human?”
“I am, but please do not tell! I mean DO TELL!” Doolish smiled.
“Don’t worry I’ll take care of that. Here,” she said, reaching into her pocket, pulling out a set of fake teeth. “Wear these to disguise yourself.”
The fangs shined in the moonlight.
“Wait,” Doolish said, sticking the perfect new teeth into his mouth. “What if your people know that I’m a human?”
“Don’t worry. You look like one of us now.”
Tina pulled a book from her pocket with a grunt, and flipped through the pages. “Aha! Here it is: Quid tu, Tempus est cenare? Ibi percipiunt exi cibum!”
The wind blew and red mist blanketed everything.
“Ahhhhhhhhhh!” Doolish screamed
“Yay!” Tina punched the air.
Wind slapped Doolish and Tina into some bushes.
“Hey Look!” Doolish said, “We’re in front of Party City.”
The smell of mango pudding welcomed Doolish and Tina into the store.
They searched the aisles and found the perfect costume.

“This Transylvanian Vampire is great,” said Tina.
“Should we buy a costume for you?” Doolish asked.
“What?!!” Tina rolled her eyes. “I am a vampire. I don’t need the costume! Be smart, will you?”
“Oh.”
“Well, today is Halloween,” Tina yawned. “When are we going to go trick-or-treating?”
“Now,” said Doolish. “Let’s egg bomb someone’s house.”
They went to Walgreens and bought sixteen dozen eggs, and strutted down the sidewalk. They stopped in front of the Painted Ladies on Steiner Street. Tourists swarmed out of a bus, snapping pictures. Doolish started tossing the eggs over their heads.
Splat! Splat!
“Who goes there?!” A man stomped out onto the porch, holding a math textbook.
“It’s Mr. Holmes!” 
“Oh my god. Who?” Tina said.
Doolish shushed her.

“These houses are so fancy. How is he so rich?”

“Duh,” Tina rolled her eyes. “Gambling, probably.”
“DOOLISH!” Mr. Holmes yelled. “I WILL FAIL YOU ON THURSDAY’S HISTORY REPORT!”
Tina threw all sixteen dozen eggs, blanketing the mansion with glop. Egg yolk stained Mr. Homes’ glasses. Doolish’s mom stepped out of the door with rings gleaming on her fingers. Tina rushed up the stairs, pulled the rings from her fingers and bit into the woman’s neck. Red filled her eyes, blood dripped down her chin. 
Tina snarled.
“Witch!”

HERE’S THE STORY AS A COMIC BOOK!


NO MORE by Sharlene, age 10















The fragrant smell of french fries
hovers in the air.
I dash through chairs
and claw the the greasy sticks
into my mouth.
Crumbs of garlic tickle my tongue.
It’s my turn.
I pick up a bowling ball the size of my head,
stab my fingers through its skull
I lift my arm, swing,
and let go.
The ball echos down the lane.
Strike!
Pins clatter.
The reseter sweeps them down its throat.
I come back to the table.
Specks of garlic stare at me
from the greasy basket
No
more

fries.

Art by Jessica

SAD PROMISE, Poetry by Jessica G., age 9













Aunts  Story 

We gave Jessica a little 
encouraging pat 
before ice-skating. 
It didn’t hurt 
but we’re not going to tell you where we patted her. 
She wobbled onto the ice. 
The skaters in the center of the rink twirled like parasols 
but Jessica stood at the edge 
and held onto a nail. 
She fell down two times and she really wanted to take off her gloves.
When it was time to leave she let go of the nail and slid to the door. 
She came to us.
She sat down on the bench 
and ate chips 
and drank 7up.
Pets
Sasa is my Aunt’s dog. 
When she sleeps 
her fur is her blanket. 
Sarah is a fish I won on May Game Day. 
I threw a ping-pong ball into the cup where she swam.
Oops, Bon-Bon, Chan, Nancy Drew, Fireland, and Moon are fishes my dad bought from the store. 
They march around the tank like they are in a parade. 
Junior was my crayfish. He died and my dad threw him in the trash.
We bought two new ones. Girls. I could tell because of the light color under their tales. 
Then one day the big one ate the small one. 
This is what David told me.
Now the big crayfish is making friends with David’s pet turtle.
I can tell because the two creatures look at each other all night and day. I peeked. 
The weirdest part is that I don’t even know the names of these pets.
When the turtle shuts his eyes it looks like he’s smiling.
Now all of my pets are dead.
A sad promise.
Bacon Smell Soup
My grandma’s soup is the best! 
No one else knows how to make the soup. 
I call it Bacon Smell Soup. 
She learned to make it 
from God. 
One day when she was practicing her English 
she heard a man’s voice in her head. 
The voice told her the ingredients. 
She never 
ever 
writes down the recipe
and she still knows how to make it 
after 33 years.
Bike Crash   
Last month 
the 8X bus 
hit 
my Gong-gong. 
He was riding his bike through Chinatown. 
He fell down on his head. 
The bus diver was shocked. 
The ambulance siren wailed. 
The hospital has his bike. 
His bruise is gone now. 
My mom gave him a new bike for his birthday.
I think he deserves it.
When he rides, his tires whirl like pinwheels.
The Almost-Gift
My dad almost brought me a Monster High Doll. 
He brought it to the cashier 
but I said, “Don’t buy it!” 
even though 
I wanted it. 
From inside her box,
her eyes stared at me.
I felt like her mind was controlling me.
I didn’t want to waste my dad’s money on a toy. 
I wanted him to use his money for tools and food and shelter. 
My dad was not smiling. 
I knew he was sad because of his lips.  
They hung down like a banana.
In the middle of the store,
a remote control car spun around on a table.
The sign next to it said,
Play it or you’ll be sorry.
David grabbed the lever.
The car squealed
and crashed.
About the Author
Hi I am Jessica. I live with my mom, dad, brother, and sister. I love to knit! When I grow up I want to be famous for fashion design. My dresses will be knitted out of colorful yarn. You know that I am really good at yelling? I want to be good at drawing anime. My favorite book is Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki. I wonder if vampires are real. The saddest part of in my life is that I am going to get old and die. If I could chose a super power I would choose to stop time the year before I was born so David wouldn’t have me to bug. All of my family went to awesome places like China, Great America, and Reno. But not me. I really want to go to China. I speak English and Cantonese at home. I am also the author of In My Bakery and The Lost Voice.  

THE LOST VOICE By Jessica, age 8


A man with a beard and a star-covered dress hid in a trashcan in front of the Fillmore Auditorium. He pointed his wand at the building. He froze like a statue and thought about making Sally throw up. His magic sped through the wall and rested in her throat.

*

Sally walked onto the stage. Her braids flung back and forth in front of her face as she rumbled like an airplane. She threw up red stuff. She couldn’t sing because she was really embarrassed. They stopped the song and the guitarist called the doctor. The doctor said Sally could not sing anymore. “There are four people in your band, right?” the doctor said.

“Yep,” the guitarist said.

“You can’t finish the concert,” said the doctor.

The guitarist felt sad about Sally. The guitarist said bye and he hung up the phone.

*

Sally went to the desert because people say this is a good place to hide. Fog covered all the cactus. She saw a pile of mud. It was huge. Sally jumped in the mud. The mud was too hot. Her brain shut down. Her head spun like a tornado. A person ran out of the fog. Sally took a notebook and a pencil out of her backpack and wrote hi. The person waved his hand at Sally. She waved back. The person said, “My name is Jack.”

Sally wrote in her notebook, I can’t speak.

Jack yelled out loudly, “What’s up!!?”

Sally rolled her eyes at Jack and wrote in her notebook, I am not deaf! She pulled a large tent out of her backpack then Jack and Sally set it up and went to sleep. A plane landed in the desert. Sally and Jack woke up with their hair sticking up.

“Don’t worry,” Jack said. “That was just a plane landing on the sand.” Jack’s eyes popped out as if a bee buzzed inside his brain. “Let’s go outside!”

Sally and Jack ran outside. Jack said, “That is the biggest plane I’ve ever seen.”

Five men came out of the plane. One said, “Get in the plane.”

Jack said,” Okay.” Sally and Jack stepped into the plane.

Jack said, “Cool!”

The airplane flew and flew and landed in a park.

The men said, “Good bye.”

Sally and Jack wandered around the park. They saw a guy sitting on a bench by a fountain. He wore an army helmet and a coat made of feathers. He said, “My name is Sam.”

“Oh, hello, Sam,” said Jack.

“Do you want to come to my house?” asked Sam. “I have snacks.”

“Sure,” said Jack.

Jack and Sally followed Sam to his house.

Jack asked, “Can I go to bed?”

“Ok. We have a bed for you,” Sam said. “Go down to ninth door on the right. Sally, you can take the room across the hall. I have a vampire movie if you guys want to watch it with me.”

“Vampire movie, huh?” Jack said. “Well, how nice.”

Sam went into his room and Sally went to hers. She dropped her backpack on the rug. Its furry green hairs lay down under her shoes. She pulled out her dairy and wrote: November 12. I found a person who is a little fat. Sam is rich. He’s nice but his eyes glow red in the dark. She put her diary in her backpack. She stood up and opened the door. A sheet hovered in the doorway. She lifted the sheet. There was no one. A string hung from the sheet. Sally grabbed for the string but her hand went through the sheet! A ghost, Sally thought, and ran to Jack’s room. When she opened the door she saw Jack trapped in a birdcage. The man in the starry dress from the Fillmore Auditorium was there.

“Help, Sally!” yelled Jack.

“Ni gow nee mah!” said the wizard. The house shook. “Do you want me to let Jack out?”

Sally wrote on her notepad, yes!

“Then give me your hair!”

Why? Sally wrote.

“I need it for my collection.”

Jacked looked seriously at Sally. The wizard twitched his finger. Scissors and a bottle of hair spray floated into his hands. Sally snatched the scissors and snipped off her braids. The wizard’s hand turned into a gun. A pink puff giggled out of its barrel and came swirling toward Sally’s mouth.

“Sally!” said the pink puff. ”Eat me!”

Sally opened her mouth and swallowed the pink puff. She said, “Ah!! It tastes like ice cream!”

About the Author

Hi! My name is Jessica. I am eight years old. I live in San Francisco with my Mom, Dad, my brother, and my sister. I like to knit. My favorite book is The Big Adventures Of Majoko by Machiko Fujo. I go to Chinese School on Sundays. I am learning Mandarin. I already speak Cantonese. My favorite foods are chocolate cakes and chocolate ice cream. Yummy! I am also the author of In My Bakery.

IN MY BAKERY By Jessica, age 7


In my bakery, it will smell like pudding and strawberries. Everything will cost one dollar so even homeless people who live on the street can buy things. It is not that hard to get a dollar. The store will be in Chinatown and it will never close. I’m going to sell wedding cakes and chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, muffins, doughnuts, waffles and pancakes. I will keep the food under a glass counter.

I will have lots of plants hanging from the ceiling. There will be pea plants and strawberry plants and banana trees. Charms that look like houses will hang over the door. In the night it will still be open. I will have dragon statues made out of wood and I will put them on the tables. I will have a rubber stamp that says the name of my bakery in Chinese and English with the phone number and address. I will put the cakes in pink boxes and stamp the boxes with my rubber stamp. There will be two tables with five chairs at each table.

At my bakery I will have something to bounce on, like a trampoline. The trampoline will be outside, behind the building, and you will need to pay to jump on it, twenty-five cents for each turn. When you jump it will feel like you are flying.

About the Author

My name is Jessica. I am seven years old. I live in San Francisco with my mom, dad, sister and brother. I like to run and I like to bake cakes. When I grow up I want to be a baker. If I could be a machine I would be a food machine so I would not have to buy food. My favorite book is The Big Adventures Of Majoko by Machiko Fujo. One thing I wonder is: Are ghosts real? The scariest thing in my life was the time I went in a haunted house. If I could choose a super power I would choose the power to freeze people so I could win when we play tag. I want to go forward in time so I could see what I look like when I’m dead. My mom and dad come from China. I have never been to that place. I would like to go. I speak English and Chinese.